Wood 3D Printing Filament: Materials, Properties & Expert Guide

Wood 3D printing filaments hit the market in 2012. The first was invented by German inventor, Kai Parthy, the founder of Lay Filaments. Wood filaments are unique in that they lend wood-like surface finishes to complex printed designs. Their compositions are usually 20-40% waste wood materials and 60-80% polymer. PLA (Polylactic Acid) is generally used as the polymer material and the wood component can be a selection of wood derivatives, including cork or wood shavings/sawdust. 

Even if the focus isn’t aesthetics, wood can be used as a filler material to reduce the cost of 3D printing materials. There are also other wood-like filaments that use coloring to give the illusion of wood, but since there are no wood particles in these filaments they typically look and feel more like plastic. 

There are three main advantages of wood 3D printing: layers of wood-infused materials bond more strongly to one another, sawdust is available as cheap waste material from other industries, and wood filaments are biodegradable and recyclable. However, they are also inflexible and can make the polymer brittle. Wood filaments are mostly used in the aerospace, automotive, architecture, engineering, medical, and jewelry industries, and even find use in the education sector.  This article will focus on wood-infused PLA filaments because these are the most common 3D printing wood filaments. We will discuss the definition, composition, and properties of this material and compare it to other 3D printing filaments.

What is Wood 3D Printing?

Wood 3D printing is a process where wood-based waste materials are re-purposed and used as ingredients in the construction filament for additive manufacturing. Wood is one of the most popular 3D filament additives because it makes parts look like they’re carved out of wood. For more information, see our all about 3D printing guide.

What is the Composition of Wood Filament?

Wood filaments are composite filaments that typically use PLA (Polylactic Acid) as a base and some form of wood as an additive. Manufacturers offer many types of wood, such as: birch, cedar, bamboo, cork, ebony, pine, olive, and even coconut. The standard composition of wood filament is usually 30% wood component and 70% PLA, although these values can differ between products and manufacturers. Because the main component is PLA, most of the filament’s properties are linked to this material. There are, however, some altered properties – like increased brittleness and a wood-like finish – that come into play when wood is added. 

What Are the Properties of Wood Filament?

The properties of wood 3D printing filament are listed below:

1. Wood filament has a very low tendency to warp or shrink.
2. Wood filaments are biodegradable and recyclable.
3. Wood 3D printing filaments are very stiff and rigid and are not intended to be flexible.

Comparison of Wood Filament Properties

Table 1 below compares the properties of wood 3D printing filament to a selection of other 3D printing filaments with no additives: